Friday, December 30, 2016

Episode 176 of my Fancy Podcast is the very first to go live on a Saturday (I typically post new episodes on Tuesdays). This episode recaps some of the best music of 2016 (in my opinion). Hope you dig it! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Thursday, December 08, 2016

December 8th, for me, has become one of those milestone dates during the year when I find myself pausing to reflect. For many years I remembered John Lennon's death as a marker in my life, a moment after which I viewed the world through a less innocent lens. Today it feels like I'm looking at December 8th through a lens that's been tinted by the passage of time. The loss of a hero, or a loved one, is now something I have experienced numerous times.

When I look back at the timid fourteen year old I was on 12/8/1980, I see little resemblance to the person I am today, even though much of what took place around that time in my life remains embedded in my psyche. There are demons that I still face, but overall I am grateful that I am able to recognize all that I have overcome in the past 36 years. I made it. I'm still alive, and honestly I have John Lennon and his bandmates to thank for getting me through some incredibly tough times in my pre-and-early teens. There will never be a time in my life when the Fabs don't exist, and as I sit and think about that, I think that it's a pretty cool thing.

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Since the onset of my big 8-track kick this year, I've been archiving my quarterly best-of's on the ancient tape format. Working with 8-tracks adds an extra level of ritual to the process. Some would call it a pain in the ass, I call it fun. You say potato...

So here's what is likely be the final track list of my fave songs from the past three months, as they appear on the tape:

As of now, it's looking like my 'album of the year' is going to be The Monkees' Good Times!. The Top Five, if I had to guess, will probably include Kula Shaker's K2.0, De La Soul's Anonymous Nobody, and maybe Weezer's White Album.

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Yesterday morning I defended my doctoral dissertation, Finding Purpose: Identifying Factors that Motivate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender College Student Engagement at a Two-Year Institution. We're in the middle of a heat wave in Minnesota, and the conference room in old academic building I'd reserved did not have a window or air conditioning. Despite the heat, things went very well. I had a good number of friends in attendance, people I've met throughout my years in academia. I was happy to have my husband there as well. After my presentation, there was time for questions, after which my committee had a closed door discussion. I was then brought back in the room to answer questions from my committee faculty, before being asked to leave the room one last time, to allow the faculty to vote on whether I passed my final PhD exam.

By noon I was no longer a Ph.D. candidate. I started this blog in 2005, shortly before I began what became a ten year stint as a student. A whole lot of shit has happened since then. It's all here if you care to read. Personally, I'm crazy excited to move forward. Completing my Ph.D. is an opportunity to start over. I'm happy, healthy, and I've got a loving home and incredible friends. Today I have a soul filled with sunshine. Peace -Jeffrey A. Anderson, Ph.D.

Sunday, July 03, 2016

April, May, June, 2016. Prince died, our house burned down, and hateful tragedy struck in Orlando. On the lighter side, The Monkees released one of the best albums of their career.

April, May, and June had a pretty decent soundtrack, but I think history will show that the May 27 release of The Monkees' Good Times! is what stands out most. The Monkees' twelfth original LP (their first in 20 years and the first since the death of Davy Jones) is most likely to be my favorite album of the year. The band released three digital singles from Good Times! this quarter, plus a fourth single ("Whatever's Right") that Amazon.com released by mistake. Of these four songs, three made my quarterly "best of" list, my favorite being the ridiculously upbeat, "You Bring the Summer", written by XTC's Andy Partridge. A few weeks ago an official animated video premiered for the song, created by Monkee offspring Jonathan Nesmith and Susan Holloway.

Here is my complete "Best of Qtr II" list (track order as it appears on my quarterly mixtape, pictured below):

Saturday, June 18, 2016

Yesterday morning at 4:55 we received a somewhat frantic call from our former neighbor in North Minneapolis, who said, "Your house is on fire." Our scramble out to the car and onto the road felt painfully familiar. Although the scenario was different, internally I was revisiting the deep sadness of driving to the hospital to say goodbye to my dad, which was soon followed by my mom's passing, and eventually my brother.

As we approached the block in our old neighborhood, the place where we lived for twelve years, we were stopped by a half dozen fire trucks and emergency vehicles. There was a pit in my stomach and a sense of dread as we walked closer to to the house. The firefighters were still trying to get the fire under control. The beautiful view of downtown Minneapolis that we used to enjoy was obscured by the smoke pouring out busted windows in our first family home. It was heartbreaking.

Leo and I moved out of our first house not long after my brother died in 2013. We had been spending a few months rehabilitating my ancestral home, where my brother had been living. He left the house in pretty rough shape, and I was determined to restore some happiness to the place. In the winter of '13/'14 we were hit with the bitterly cold "Polar Vortex", at which time we packed up some essentials and our rabbit Austin and headed to the family homestead for what was going to be a winter "staycation". We never left. The transport of our material stuff was completed last fall. We're still unpacking the boxes when we find time.

Once the fire had been extinguished, an inspector attempted to enter the house to see if a cause could be determined, but she wasn't able to get very far into the building. The second floor of the house had crashed down upon the main level. The city deemed the house unsafe and told us that it would be demolished within a few hours. For me, looking at the shell of our first home was like standing in front of a dead loved one who had just left their body. Its spirit was gone. We didn't stick around for the demolition; we chose to get breakfast instead.

Later in the day we received pictures from a friend who was there when the house came down. The final shot he sent us showed the front steps leading up to what was now nothing. It was final. In the end, we know that it was just a house. More specifically it was an old house, built in 1900. If we had sold the house, there is a good chance the new owners would have torn it down and rebuilt anyway. Still, the pain we felt throughout the day was very real and sorrowful. We packed a lot of living into the twelve years spent in that home. Now we move forward to the next phase with hope and a reasonable level of optimism.

Sunday, May 08, 2016

A few years before she died, my mom said she wanted to go to the annual Pride parade with me and Leo. I knew she liked parades, but this was the first time I learned that she *loved* marching bands, so much that they made her cry sometimes. The parade was packed as usual; I think Mom was a bit surprised by the huge crowds. I was glad she was able to see all the families and dogs, and just the feeling of celebration.

We left the parade to go to the festival in the park (I think Mom got bored over the lack of marching bands). When Mom saw the PFLAG booth she proudly walked up and told the lady behind the table, "This is my son Jeff and his partner, Leo." It was one of the great moments of my life, not just to see the true acceptance from Mom, but also because of the PFLAG lady's response. She looked at my mom with this expressionless face, and I imagined her thinking, "Uh, yeah - welcome to Pride. There's half a million gay guys here, but thanks for the heads up on your kid." My mom took a PFLAG magnet that would remain on her fridge. Her journey wasn't an easy one, but she did it.

Friday, April 29, 2016

Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, & Michael Nesmith (known collectively as THE MONKEES) released a magical new digital single today. "She Makes Me Laugh", written by Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo, is from the band's forthcoming LP, Good Times!, which will be released May 27 on CD and digital formats, and on LP in July. DIG IT!

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

I thought about posting something here last week after hearing the news of Prince's passing, but at the time it seemed like too big of a task. It still feels tough, but I feel like I should post something, so here's a note I wrote on Facebook on Friday.4.22.2016

Yesterday I felt a kinship with a special community of people. It was one of those moments when Facebook was a blessing. From noon forward there was this focus on what we were all feeling, as it happened. We all felt it together.I called my good friend Chuck immediately, because I knew he would be in the same headspace. When he answered I realized it my first time hearing his voice, even though we've been friends for years. We were on the phone when AP confirmed the news. Our chat didn’t last long, but it felt necessary to check in.

A few minutes later my longtime friend Jim called. Since the 80's Jim and I have seen Prince (the Jam of the Year tour stands out in my mind) and experienced our city's live music scene together. Like my brief chat with Chuck, it felt good to just say "hey - you doing alright?". The next call came from Leo, who said, "I'm coming home". I was actually doing OK, but it certainly was better to have Leo with me. As you might expect, he lit a purple candle. :) I finished the day with my bandmates, who turned out to be exactly what I needed.

The one person I didn't get to call yesterday was my brother. Jay and I rarely missed a local Prince show, and the release of a new Prince album was always an event that included hours of discussion. As Minneapolis kids, it was part of who we were. When we were in high school, it was Jay who made me listen to Controversy and the first Time LPs. Despite his absence, yesterday was an opportunity to revisit some pretty incredible memories that Jay and I created over the years, over decades, all because of this gentleman called Prince.

Today I’m actually more weepy than yesterday. I suspect that yesterday was spent on grief autopilot. It was comforting to witness the city coming together as they did, with the purple lighting of our bridges, and the amazing late night gathering outside First Avenue. Watching the outpouring of love from Prince’s hometown was a helpful distraction from the inevitable. Today is a new reality. Let’s not forget that we have each other today just as much as we did yesterday. We’re still in it together. Much Love - J.